Italian Pasta Bake

December 11, 2015December 10, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Mozzarella Italian Pasta Bake | Life Healthfully Lived that isn’t really mozzarella. Confusing I know, but totally awesome. There are tons of recipes out there for fake cheese as well as plenty of products that you can buy. My issue with store bought “cheese” is that it’s usually full of ingredients that I would rather not ingest.

I’ve made cheese sauce before for my Fusilli N’ Cheeze, but I wanted to make a cheese that was a little thicker. My goal? To try and recreate the mostaccioli that Adam made for me when we first started dating. Italian Pasta Bake | Life Healthfully Lived

About a month or so into our relationship, Adam decided he was going to cook for me. He made me his mom’s mostaccioli and it was delicious. It was super simple, but watching him make that meal for me was one of the first times that I started to fall in love with him. When I stopped eating gluten and dairy, mostaccioli kind of went out the window. But not anymore!

Don’t be freaked out by making “cheese” that isn’t really cheese. It isn’t difficult and there really aren’t any weird ingredients unless you think tapioca starch is weird. It isn’t. It’s just a thickener and helps make this cheese stretchy. You could also use potato starch, but I like tapioca better. Once you make the cheese, this is a really fast meal and a great one to prep early and pull out for a quick weeknight meal.

Not-Mozzarella, Mozzarella

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water overnight
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp roasted garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch (or potato starch)
1 cup hot water

Add everything to a blender and blend for 2 to 3 minutes until it is completely smooth.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook while constantly stirring. After a few minutes, the mixture will start to thicken.
Turn the heat to low and keep stirring it until it is very thick and stretchy. You can use it right away or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Italian Pasta Bake

1 batch of Not-Mozzarella, Mozzarella
1 batch of my tomato sauce
1 package of gluten-free pasta, I used brown rice shells

Preheat oven to 350. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
Get a 9 x 13 casserole dish and spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Next, put a layer of pasta and then top with tomato sauce. Spread some of the cheese on top of that.
Keep layering the pasta, sauce, and cheese until it’s gone. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and take off the foil. Cook for another 5 minutes until the cheese on top is starting to brown on the edges.
Take out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before you serve it.

DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived have another holiday edition of DIY Wednesday for you today: gravy. After the ganache last week, I thought we would go savory today. I know it’s a little late for Thanksgiving, but there are still plenty of meals this season that will warrant gravy. I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own gravy because I was just as surprised when I learned.

When I was younger, gravy was bought in a jar. My mom pretty much made the rest of our Thanksgiving feast from scratch, but the gravy and the jellied cranberries came from a jar and a can. So in my tiny kid mind, that is how all gravy was made. In a jar and then heated up on the stove. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

As I got older and started cooking for myself and reading cookbooks, I saw recipes for gravy. What?! You can make this from scratch?! Yes. Yes, you can. And it is really easy.

I’m making a mushroom gravy for those of us who don’t eat meat, but you can make gravy from pretty much any cooked meat you have following this recipe. Whichever you choose, it’s really simple and so much healthier to make your own gravy. It’s also cheaper which is a must during the holiday season!

Mushroom Gravy

8 oz mushrooms (I used baby bellas), sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/3 cup onion, minced finely
1 to 2 tbsp coconut aminos, liquid aminos, or soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch (I used potato)
1 1/2 cup cool water
1 tsp parsley
3 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper then add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the coconut aminos or soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and the vegetable broth. Cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and the mushrooms have gotten smaller.
While the mushrooms are cooking make the starch slurry. Combine the 1 and 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon of starch and mix together with a fork. Make sure the mixture is smooth and all lumps are gone.
Pour the slurry into the skillet and stir to mix everything together. The slurry will start to thicken as it cooks. Add the parsley and rosemary. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Once the gravy is thick enough, pour into a gravy boat or bowl and use immediately.

Gravy needs to be used right after it’s made, because unlike its store bought counterpart it doesn’t last forever. It’s much better fresh and since it’s so easy to make you can whip it up right at the end of your cooking. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

What is your favorite holiday dish to make from scratch?

DIY Wednesday: Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

After DIY Wednesday: Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache a week off, DIY Wednesday is back! I know you missed it and were totally lost without a fun DIY to fill your Wednesday. At least that’s what I would like to think.

I’m SUPER excited about this DIY because I didn’t think it was going to work and it did and it is amazing. If you don’t know what a ganache is, then you obviously don’t spend enough time in bakeries or watching the Food Network. A ganache is a glaze, sauce, icing, or filling that is typically made with cream and chocolate. It can be used for cakes, cupcakes, truffles, or donuts. Basically, anything that is delicious can be made even more delicious with ganache. DIY Wednesday: Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache | Life Healthfully Lived

Ganache used to be one of my favorite things. It isn’t super heavy or super sweet like typical frostings and it really lets the chocolate flavor shine through. And let’s face it, chocolate is the reason many of us get up in the morning. Wait, is that just me? Oh well, it’s true and I ain’t ashamed of that.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I was able to make it without dairy but still just as delicious. I figured I would share this one with you right as the holiday season is upon us because this will definitely come in handy for all your baking needs. You can use it as a frosting or icing for you cooking, as a decadent hot chocolate drink, as a filling for pastries or sweet breads, or stick it in the fridge for a rich and creamy mousse and a simple dessert. The possibilities are endless and with just a few ingredients you can have this on hand at all times. That is a very good thing!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

1 cup full-fat coconut milk, unsweetened
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (I used Baker’s brand)
2-3 tbsp maple syrup, honey, molasses, whatever liquid sweetener you have on hand

Using a microplane or fine grater, grate the 2 oz of chocolate into a medium bowl until you have a little pile of chocolate shreds. Set bowl aside.
Get a small to medium saucepan and pour the coconut milk in. Heat the milk over medium heat and whisk frequently. You don’t want the milk to boil or scald. Whisk in the maple syrup or other sweetener and whisking until you get a light simmer. This should take about 10 minutes
Remove the milk from the heat and get your bowl with chocolate shreds. Slowly pour in the sweetened warm milk, whisking the whole time. Keep whisking until the chocolate is completely melted and everything is smooth.
You can use the ganache right away or you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Pozole Rojo

November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I Pozole Rojo | Life Healthfully Lived might be a weirdo (ok, I’m totally a weirdo) but I love to hear the history behind food and certain dishes. So often our cultures and traditions are built around the food we serve. Food can tell so many stories, like what was available back then, what types of jobs we were doing, if we were going through bad times or good times, or if we were celebrating a holiday. I just really geek out over how certain dishes came to be.

A few weeks ago I was trying to figure out what kind of soup to make. I wanted something new, but nothing too complicated. I have no idea how I stumbled upon it, but I found a soup called pozole. Pozole means hominy, which is a type of corn that has been treated with lime to soften the husk, and it is a traditional Mexican stew. When I think of Mexico, stew is not what comes to mind first. Pozole Rojo | Life Healthfully Lived

After a little research, I found out that pozole had a ritual significance. Maize, or corn, played a huge role in the lives and culture of Mexicans. Ancient Americans believed that humans were made out of cornmeal by the gods. In a traditional pozole, prisoners were killed and cooked with hominy and seasonings and then served to the whole community as a form of communion. Once cannibalism was outlawed, pork was substituted for human because it tasted similar.

Aren’t you glad that I’m sharing this with you? Hungry yet?

Have no fear, I am not going to make this with human flesh (I’m not Sweeney Todd) and I’m not even going to make it with pork. I decided to do a vegetable pozole and make it a pozole rojo by adding a mole sauce. I did stick to the traditional hominy, which is really delicious and I had never had before, as well as traditional seasonings.

Pozole is still served today for celebrations like weddings, birthdays, and New Years. But you can make this pozole rojo anytime and it’s a great way to warm up on a cold night.

Pozole Rojo

3 large dried ancho chiles
2 large dried pasilla chiles
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 to 5 cloves garlic
1 cup onion, diced
1 can of hominy, 28 oz (read the ingredients to check for preservatives)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp Mexican oregano (regular would work too)
3 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 lime

Get a large skillet and heat it over medium-high. Toast the chiles until they are a little soft and bendy. About 5 minutes. Place the chiles in a large bowl and cover the chiles with hot water. Let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes until they are totally soft.
Once the chiles are totally rehydrated, take them out of the water and save the water. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds and place into a blender. Add the water they were soaked in, the cocoa powder, and the garlic cloves. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil and saute the onions until they are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the hominy, cumin, and Mexican oregano and stir to combine everything.
Pour in the vegetable broth and salt and bring everything to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust any seasonings and squeeze in the lime juice.

I served this topped with guacamole, but you could also use cilantro, radishes, or even sour cream if you were so inclined. If you want a more traditional pozole with pork, check out this recipe here. Pozole Rojo | Life Healthfully Lived

What are some of your favorite meals with some history? Any dishes that your family has always made for a special occasion?

DIY Wednesday: Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

November 18, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I have lived in Illinois my entire life, so I am a Midwest girl through and through. I think a big stretch of farmland is beautiful, I can drive in most snowy conditions, and I know malls are the best way to shop for everything. The other thing that my Midwestern upbringing has taught me?

Ranch dressing belongs on everything.

Raw vegetables? Instantly better doused in ranch. That boring old salad? Drench it in the white stuff. Chicken fingers and nuggets were made for dunking into the nectar of the Midwest gods. I’ve even dipped french fries, meatloaf, and sausage into ranch. Don’t judge until you try it.

Unfortunately, the combination of ranch dressing on all the food and frying everything possible has made the people of this part of the country just a little less healthy. When I changed the way I ate, I begrudgingly quit my ranch habit. After a short (read: longer than I thought) adjustment period, I actually started to enjoy the flavor of my food without the aid of ranch dressing.

But there was still that fat Midwestern kid inside that wanted to swim in a vat of ranch. I decided to fix it.

I made this dressing with full-fat coconut milk and my DIY ranch seasoning and was shocked with how much it tasted like traditional ranch. It was a little runny at first, but after a few hours in the fridge it thickened up nicely. I tend to like a more watery ranch, so I let it sit out a few minutes before I use it.

The fact that it’s so easy to make this dressing and the fact that I love it on everything have made it a weekly staple. Try it on roasted sweet potatoes or mixed into mashed potatoes. It is amazing with carrots and celery sticks and is wonderful whisked into a frittata. I even made a topping with mashed potatoes and this ranch and spread it on top of my lentil loaf.

So if you have been missing ranch dressing in your healthier lifestyle, try this dairy-free version. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

1 cup full-fat coconut milk, unsweetened
2-3 tsp ranch dressing seasoning, add more or less to your taste
1/2 tsp celery salt (sea salt will also work)
1 tsp roasted garlic (you could also use garlic powder)

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for a few minutes until everything is combined.
Pour into an airtight container (like a mason jar) and put in the fridge to thicken. Keep it stored in the fridge for up to a week.

That’s it. Easy Peasy, time to put ranch on all the things and not feel like the fat Midwestern kid you might just be at heart!